Los Angeles is going electric! Mayor Eric Garcetti announced at a press conference today that, with the new lease of more than 250 electric and hybrid cars, Los Angeles now has the largest city-owned fleet of pure battery electric vehicles in America—he city has added 160 battery electric vehicles and 128 plug-in hybrids to it's fleet reports The Verge. The 160 BEV cars will be shared amongst the LAPD, Fire, General Services, and Water and Power departments. LADWP and general services will also be getting the plug-in hybrids.
#LAPD: @LAPDChiefBeck speaking at the news conference on Historic Transition to Green Energy Vehicles. pic.twitter.com/n1KdFOrX8F
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) September 11, 2015
But the big winner seems to be the LAPD. The police department is being loaned a Tesla Model S P85D (retail price: $120,000) and a BMWi (Retail price: $43,000) for "testing and research by LAPD technical experts to determine how this technology can support their future needs." The "technical experts" at the LADWP have got to be LIVID at this snub!
The electric vehicle lease announcement comes just a week before Los Angeles hosts the US-China Climate Leaders Summit. Mayor Garcetti is coming into the summit guns-a-blazin' when it comes to environmental initiatives. The vehicles are a part of the mayor's Sustainable City pLAn announced in April that sets targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. —Jeff Wattenhofer
The LAPD has a Tesla now [The Verge]
Mayor Garcetti And City Departments Commit To Largest City-Owned Fleet Of Pure Battery EV Vehicles In America [Press Release]